Abstract This paper presents an analysis of Paul's character in Willa Cather's "Paul's Case" by focusing on three of his attributes: 1) his tendency to be very self-oriented and separated from the others around him 2) his over-concern for all things that glitter and 3) his damaged psyche.
From the Paper "In Willa Cather's story "Paul's Case", the character Paul embodied the Calvinist household in which he was raised in. Paul is a very self-oriented and introverted boy whose every action is designed and calculated to prevent others from seeing the real him. Paul is also a person who is overly concerned with money, wealth, and glamour; all which he believes will take him to the top and get him off Cordelia Street, which he despises with a passion. Paul is also under all of his mental armor, is scared, scarred and mentally damaged by his father and by his teachers so much that he can no longer go on living."
Abstract This paper takes a look at how Mark Twain's own life is portrayed in his stories "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".
From the Paper "There are many who view both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn as part of a childhood once lived by a man called Mark Twain because of all the similarities that they share. Twain, looking back to the time when he was growing up, describes himself as ?Tom Sawyer with a little touch of Huck,? proving that he did have in mind his early memories as he was writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The resemblance does not end there as he pulls characters, geographical features, lessons, and adventures from his times as a young kid. Both novels are intertwined with Mark Twain's past as he recalls the best times of his life as a youth in the Mississippi River Valley area and steamboating up and down the river."
Tags: mississippi, river, american, writer, literature, story
Abstract This paper deals with the protagonist Hamlet, and his inability to complete his task of revenge. Although Hamlet does kill Claudius, who is his uncle and the man who killed his father, the plan for revenge is not properly fulfilled due to elements that cause Hamlet's downfall and his unfortunate demise. The essay discusses how the factors of procrastination, melancholic behavior, and constant indecision stop Hamlet from properly fulfilling the task assigned by the ghost of Old Hamlet.
From the Paper "Hamlet observes how Fortinbras is willing to go blindly to Poland, to fight for a piece of land, which is worthless, all in the name of honor. When he looks at himself, he sees that he is not a man of action. The prince has had months of time to fulfill his act of revenge, which he has all the reason for, but he has not gotten any closer to his goal than the first day. Fortinbras, on the other hand, appears as a foil to Hamlet, highlighting his own quick-acting ability, and contrasting Hamlet's continuing procrastination. The extensive delay of Hamlet's revenge is what creates a tragedy and contributes to his downfall at the end of the play. As well as the stretching of time, Hamlet is also not up to the task assigned to him by the ghost because he is melancholic and too overwhelmed by other surrounding situations."
Abstract This essay suggests that Hamlet was not insane, but emotionally devastated by what he perceived as betrayal by those closest to him. Quotes from the play are used skillfully to support this theory.
From the Paper "As the curtain opens on Shakespeare's ?Hamlet,? the audience is introduced to an extremely bleak young man. The grief triggered by the death of his father and the hasty re-marriage of his mother to his uncle, has left Hamlet feeling disorientated. It is in this state of emotional vulnerability that Hamlet begins to distort reality and doubt the intentions of those around him. Hamlet's initial sense of hopelessness deepens as the play progresses and more of the people in his life appear to betray him. He is left alone in a world where he is unable to trust anyone and even begins to doubt the strength of his own character. The perceived betrayal by those closest to Hamlet, causes him to become disillusioned about himself and others."
Abstract This paper is a critical analysis of the portrayal of women in William Faulkner's, "A Rose for Emily" Using examples from the book, the writer discusses society's impossible ideal for women, and demonstrates of religious imagery in the story also serves to propagate this image of women. Some of the examples used include how Emily is presented to the readers and how she is transformed from virginal, to tainted once her affair is revealed. According to the paper, Faulkner was attempting to illustrate how unrealistic expectations and demands placed upon women, in this case, Emily, lead to loneliness, isolation and even murder.
From the Paper "Emily takes compensation a step further by murdering Homer to prevent him from leaving her. Even though the townspeople suspect Homer's demise, they do nothing about it. The reason for this is touched upon (as well as the foreshadowing Homer's death) when they excuse her for trying to keep the decaying body of her father, ?We did not say she was crazy then. We believed she had to do that. We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will.? (Faulkner, 1992, 3)."
Abstract This paper describes the historical genocide and displacement of the Native Americans through Dee Brown's book "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee". It traces the history of the Dakotas and Sioux Tribe during and after the conquest of the West by the American military.
From the Paper "Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" is a fully documented account of the genocide and displacement by the United States government and military of an entire race of people, human beings, natives of the land that spanned from sea to shining sea. This unthinkable inhumane act was done in the name of Manifest Destiny, a name Congress gave to this movement. Brown documents battles and defeats of the Navaho, Nez Perces, Cheyenne, Apache, Utes, the Sioux and other tribes against a relentless and dishonorable government."
From the Paper "Jos? Antonio Villareal, in his novel Pocho, examines the subject of assimilation as it applies to the experiences of Richard Rubio and his parents and sisters. The Rubios are Mexicans attempting to start a new life in the United States, and the novel chronicles the difficulties they face. Because the story focuses on Richard, it is as much a coming-of-age story as one about assimilation. In fact, assimilation involves a coming-of-age for adults as well as children, for the need to adapt to the new culture, while holding onto as much of the old culture as possible, results in a "new" individual as much as coming-of-age does. The author presents the subject of assimilation realistically, without romantic illusions about the degree to which the Mexican characters maintain their own culture in the midst of American culture."
From the Paper ""The Black Cat" by Edgar Allen Poe is a grotesque short story of a man's conscience. ?The Black Cat combines several themes that fascinated Poe such as reincarnation, perversity, and retribution. This story also carried an implied theme in the superstitious implications of this man's downfall. In this story Poe keeps very strongly to the theme of perversity and superstitions to illustrate the strange conditions that led to the crimes of this "happy man" especially fond of animals? (Poe 103). The theme of superstition is found to be a background motivation to the events and actions performed in the story. Towards the beginning of the story it is first mentioned to us that his wife always tells him "all black cats [are] witches in disguise" (Poe 103). The narrator also mentions that the name of the cat was Pluto. Pluto in "Greek and Roman mythology was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworld" (Womack 5). The use of this name leads the reader to believe that the cat is somehow responsible for the death that is caused by the narrator himself. This is where the reader is first introduced to the fact that the events of this story could be caused by some superstition and not coincidence alone."
Tags: allen, analysis, critical, edgar, poe, themes, literature, Black Cat
From the Paper "In literature, a coming of age story deals with the growth and change of a young person into an adult. Most coming of age stories show the events that guide the young person into acceptance of adulthood, but others, like Joyce Carol Oates? short story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"? use unusual literary techniques to communicate the theme to the reader. "Where Are You Going"? is unique because it contains literary elements that create a dichotomy between adulthood and adolescence, and between the protagonist's fantasies and the reality of Arnold Friend. Oates uses contrasting characters and images to show the reader the conflicts of Connie, the teenage protagonist of the story, and her sudden entry into the adult world. An analysis of "Where Are You Going"? reveals the conflicting literary elements Oates uses to convey her theme."
Abstract This essay explores the connection between status and happiness. Using Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God" as a model, this essay reveals that the search for status often leads to unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
From the Paper "A common element in many cultural novels is the search for social status. Many of the characters in Zora Neale Hurston's novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God", attempt in various ways to achieve personal satisfaction by improving their social status. Through the eyes of the narrator, the reader learns that although many of the characters are either searching for or seem to have found their place in society, it does not always bring them happiness. For Janie, the main character, the search is a bit different. What she is seeking is simply herself. Three other characters, all of whom want to limit Janie's freedom, display different ways in which people understand status. Nanny, Joe Starks, and Mrs. Turner all seem to find what they feel is an improved rank in society. Although these three characters achieve status, their attitudes about status ironically make them and those close to them unhappy."
Abstract The author states that the 'veil' refers to the shadow, which has influenced a black person's sense of self and has affected his consciousness. The author concludes that racism is not as intense as it was; but still, the "veil" is intact to a certain degree. While there are fewer complaints about racial discrimination, the problem of dual identity persists.
From the Paper "DuBois is of the view that a black person is actually 'two people' existing in one body. This is because he is forced to remain behind a veil, which influences his view of himself. In other words, a black person is forced to look at himself from the point of view of others around him and therefore he is never exactly certain who is he."
From the Paper "This study will examine the ways in which Frederick Douglass used education and literacy to gain and express his freedom in his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave. The opening pages of Douglass' autobiography include no sign of freedom. Slaves have their freedom stripped from them by the horrors of slavery, and slaveowners commit those horrors. An essential part of being a free human being, for Douglass, involves education, literacy and self-awareness. The slave with no education, no awareness of his or her position, no ability to read the thoughts of others, and no hope for the future is not fully a human being. The slaveholders kept the slaves uneducated because that made controlling them easier. Literate and free-thinking individuals are harder to control than a group of frightened illiterates whose only reality is that.."
From the Paper ""The Autobiography of Malcolm X" as told to Alex Haley, the author of Roots, is a powerful book because it carries through on the theme of discovering black identity. Malcolm X was one of the primary religious leaders and reformers of the 1960s, but it took him a number of years to shed his old preconceptions of who blacks were in America. As he learned to accept his black identity, Malcolm began his short-lived career as a powerful force in the fight against racism in the United States.
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska. From the very beginning, even though Malcolm had not discovered his black identity, he had a very clear picture of what it meant to be a black in the United States. "When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later, a party of hooded ... "
Abstract This paper briefly examines Reiman's book which keeps up on criminal justice statistics and other trends in the system. The thesis of the book is that the goal of the American criminal justice system is not to eliminate crime or even to achieve justice but to project to the people an image of the idea that the threat of crime is a threat from the poor. The system must therefore maintain a large population of poor criminals, and to this end, it must not eliminate the crime that poor people commit or even reduce the number of those crimes to any great extent.
From the Paper "In the chapter "Crime Control in America," Reiman suggests that the system has been designed to fail. Imprisoning drug offenders, for instance, does nothing to reduce the number of rug offenders in society because they are immediately replaced. The decline in violent crime is more attributable to demographic changes than to enforcement efforts. Most of the decline in crime of all sorts takes place because of forces beyond the control of the criminal justice systems. Reiman also says we could reduce crime if we wanted to do so and that four excuses given are not really answers to the problem at all but merely excuses to explain why the system fails. We know the causes of crime--poverty, prisons, and drugs--yet we do nothing to change how these things operate, such as banning guns and decriminalizing drugs."
